NEW Waratahs five-eighth Bernard Foley believes NSW has done enough homework on their interstate arch rivals to hit the Reds where they're vulnerable on Saturday night.

Showing no sign of new-season nerves despite the back line's short time together, Foley acknowledged the talent in Queensland players such as Quade Cooper and Mike Harris but said the Waratahs had it covered.

''I think both are good players and both are so interchangeable that one can play No.15 and one can play No.10,'' he said.

''It's a string to their bow but we've done our homework on that and we think we can target them. We've also worked out their strengths and weaknesses from that, so we've tried to come up with a game plan where we can nullify their strengths and really attack their weaknesses.''

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Foley's selection at five-eighth in the Waratahs' opening game caps the almost season-long apprenticeship he did at fullback last year after joining the squad under former coach Michael Foley.

The plan under last year's coaching structure was always to transition Foley to the chief playmaking role and he ended last season playing there. However, it is testament to the 23-year-old's hard work - and perhaps the endorsement of the only surviving coach from last year, Alan Gaffney - that he has retained the spot under the fresh new eyes of Michael Cheika.

But Foley is taking nothing for granted. ''I don't think by any means I've got a mortgage on that jersey at all,'' he said.

''I think Ben Volavola [named on the bench] has done very well and Berrick [Barnes] has still got to come back so it's such a great honour and privilege for me to be in that spot at No.10. But now I can't just rest on that, I've got to go out there and show that I deserve to be in that position and deserve to run the team and I think come Saturday hopefully I can do that and do it well.''

There are plenty of new faces and combinations in the back line that will meet the Reds, not least of all Israel Folau's start at fullback, plus Tom Kingston and Drew Mitchell's pairing on the wings and Tom Carter's move in to cover the loss of Barnes, who may have started at inside centre if he had been fit.

Foley has also never started a game with halfback Brendan McKibbin but insisted they knew each other well on the field. ''We've done two pre-seasons together, we get along really well off the field and on the field,'' he said.

''I think he's the type of player that gets on you if you're not giving him your voice or directing him or telling him, so he's the bloke you really respond to and lift because you want to play for those types of blokes.''

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